Coming Across
by hikari yuuko
Summary: [VanHitomi] A girl returns to the land she left so long ago, a land where a man still waits for her... Both know what her return means though... ONE-SHOT


Coming Across

**Written by:** hikari yuuko

**Date:** May 5th, 2004.

**Disclaimer:** Me Owns Nothing.

**≈§≈**

The night is cold and misty, the heavy fog blurring his vision. Among the clouds, the moon shines brightly up in the sky. He is standing at the top of the enormous, rocky cliff, and empty space lies before him. There is a regal sense in the scene unfolding.

And then, the Earth comes to an uproar and starts to shake. The birds fly out from the trees they had been sleeping in and other small animals run away from their burrows and dens, panicked.

But he doesn't bother, for his eyes are fixed on a falling angel. He stays there, planted on the ground, and doesn't even blink at the stranger vision, for he remembers a moment from before… just like this. This isn't a dream.

He feels a throbbing sensation on his back, as if something would suddenly grow out from him, going through his very flesh. And it does…

White, long wings spread out of his body, red blood staining his shirt and then disappearing into nothingness. It is an excruciating experience, and so, he doubles in pain. He starts muttering harsh curses as his back aches horribly…

Swearing one last time, he jumps off the cliff.

The young girl's mind is completely blank, she doesn't know when it was that she stopped running on the race track and when she lost her consciousness. She just knows that everything is too rushed.

In a flash, she is engulfed my light and she finds herself falling down and down… and down.

A void is swallowing her.

She closes her eyes and braces herself. Her clothes had abruptly been ripped apart by the wind and changed into a white, silky robe. Magic perhaps, but she can't be surprised anymore. She exhales again and then, her fall ends.

But she hasn't crashed against the floor as expected, if she was ever meant to crash at all. Someone clutches her tightly. And it feels so warm, so familiar.

He doesn't know what to say as he looks at her confusedly. His heart beats wildly and he has already forgotten the pain he felt before. He watches the 'Wind Goddess' in speculation as she slowly opens clear, green eyes to look at him.

Her short auburn hair is all messed up with the wind as they fly up. A gentle, warm feeling overwhelms him but confusion overcomes that feeling of happiness.

Why is she here… _again_?

She knows it. She's not at her home any longer, but at a world she's been to before. A place she thought she'd never see again. A place she had only dreamt about…

As she looks at her savior, she's not even taken aback to see him. She smiles softly, her hand reaching for his raven hair and playing with the unruly strands. Tears threaten to fall down as they start welling up in her eyes. She is entranced with his sight, and so she starts wondering about him…

Beautiful, white feathers surround them.

"Hi-Hitomi?" The dark-haired man whispers her name, asking for some kind of reassurance from her. He is so perplexed.

He needs to know if she is really there, if this is not but a mere trick of his mind. He brings her body closer to him and she buries her face on his chest. He feels her nod, but she doesn't make any other movement or sound. His eyes look somehow pained, but he can't make out why he feels like this.

A few strands of hair fall over her face as she looks up at him again. He continues going up, until they are finally reaching the top. She can't stop looking, staring at him, taking in the changes he's had over these past years.

His face looks older, more mature; his skin is more tanned and his hair seems to be a little longer than she remembered it to be.

But his eyes… his eyes are still the same deep brown-red shade, deep as the sea; they still hold so much passion and strength.

The same eyes…

He lands on the cliff with a softy thud. And it is the only sound apart from the breeze that can be heard. Ah, and also the sound of his heavy beating heart.

It's been so long…

He helps her stand to her feet wordlessly.

A gentle breeze passes by and the robe she's wearing starts billowing. She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, making simply beautiful sight for him.

It's been so long since he had felt this… But she hasn't changed at all, the feeling hasn't changed. He worries when he doesn't find anything to say, and it seems she doesn't either.

She braces herself, suddenly feeling a sense of emptiness, and smiles up at him. She's so happy to see him again. She had promised him to always be by his side after all…

Still….

"Van," she finally dares to speak, gulping down a lump in her throat, "I-I…"

The sky is cloudless now. The dark blue arch of heaven is packed with glimmering, silver stars.

He wonders about her presence here, and so he has to voice out his thoughts.

"Why… why are you here, Hitomi?"

She smiles bitterly at him and shrugs. He is amazed all the same, and can only stare back, still in shock.

She continues smiling as her hand reaches for his cheek. He leans his face on her palm as his hand covers hers.

"I knew… I knew that we would see each other again, my dear Van," she says in an even, soft voice, one that trembles with emotion.

He opens his eyes again, which he had closed as the girl had touched gently his skin. She wants to laugh and cry at the same time.

"Van," she whispers tenderly with a smile as she tilts her head to her side; her glassed, green eyes searching his with uncertainty.

Without saying anything else, he doesn't hesitate in bringing her into a tight embrace, his face hiding in her neck. He is so glad to see her too…

"Hitomi… Hitomi…"

"It's okay, Van," she says, smoothing his hair.

And they both cry because… because they know.

Her presence here, in a world different from hers, only means that something much greater than themselves is approaching.

_It means that chaos is near._

**≈§≈**

**A/N:** My first Tenkuu no Escaflowne fic, and my first Van/Hitomi at that. I had started this on a notepad, and it barely reached one side of the sheet. It actually grew longer and longer until it reached its final size, but it's still a short one. I've only seen half of the anime episodes and the movie, and I have common knowledge about the series, but I'm still going on the safe side and creating a new situation. Here Hitomi has returned to Gaia after some years after going back to Earth. I hope you liked this one-shot, and if you did, PLEASE leave a review!

**EXTRA NOTE:** Thanks to the anonymous reviewer, my first review! Thank you for telling me their eye color, I was worried about that. I have a lot of images of both of them but my laptop is on the repair shops so I couldn't check out. You see, I have the movie but since it's a VCD it's too dark to see it. I was sure I had them wrong, especially Hitomi's, and I didn't check before posting up!! Thanks a lot!!!


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